Transcendent Love
by Faded Warrior
Summary: When Fleur is snatched from her wedding all hope seems lost. However Bill is determined to fetch back the entirety of his new wife, not just the empty shell. And he is willing to go to the end of the world and back again in order to do so.


Chapter 1 – Until Death do us Part

Bill Weasley was running late, not only was he running late he was running late for a wedding. Not any wedding, but his own wedding. He stood before a full length mirror that was giving him suggestions to help him sort out the finishing touches. The butterflies in his stomach were unbearable and the amused grin from his best man, Charlie, was doing absolutely nothing to calm his nerves.

"If I told her once, I told her a thousand times," he mumbled gruffly as he wrestled with the flower in his button hole. "I do not need a haircut; Fleur likes my hair this way. But no, mother always has to know best doesn't she?"

Bill turned around to the amused look on his brother Charlie's face. "I dunno what you're chuckling at, she actually got you," he commented raising an eyebrow as he adjusted his collar.

"Yeah, but I just got it over with and grew it back last night didn't I?" answered Charlie with a wry grin, running his hand through his wild ginger hair. "I didn't throw a tantrum like a spoilt child."

Bill rolled his eyes and turned back to the mirror, dusting down his dress robes one last time nervously. Even Bill Weasley could get butterflies in his stomach at the concept of his own wedding. He turned to the window as the mirror gave a slightly flustered murmur of approval, and turned his attention to the bustling lawn beneath his open window. The guests were just starting to arrive; he could see Ron, the twins and Harry in his disguise starting to lead them to their seats.

"Merlin, I haven't been this scared since I was attacked by Greyback," he sighed before turning to leave his old bedroom.

"Simple solution to that," replied Charlie as he followed Bill. "Don't get married."

"I'll tell you that when you are getting married and I am best man," threw back Bill as he clattered haphazardly down the stairs, Charlie following in his wake.

"Who says I would make you best man?" laughed Charlie. "I have four other brothers to choose from and too many cousins to count. What makes you so special?"

Bill just rolled his eyes and continued his brisk pace through the house, hoping with all of his heart that he would not run into his maniacal mother with a pair of scissors again. He could hear Charlie chuckling behind him and struggling to maintain his older, taller brother's pace out into the garden.

The garden was tidied and trimmed to perfection. All of the flowers had been pruned and the leaves and feathers normally scattered across the lawn had all been swept away. The chickens clucked away pitifully in the confines of their coop so they could not spoil the lawn, or even worse the wedding. A massive golden marquee sat at the side of the house and the guests were slowly filing in, led by various members of the Weasley family and Order members. Bill heard his Great Aunt Muriel grumbling away to some unfortunate soul about her seat.

The two brothers managed to get into the marquee without being cornered by their hysterical mother who they could hear flapping away somewhere else in the marquee, something about the twins and champagne.

Bill took a deep breath and rolled around on his heels at the very front of the aisle, nodding a quick smile at the short wizard who was to marry him and Fleur. He heard the crowd in the marquee slowly quieten as the last of the guests took their seats, murmuring quietly amongst themselves as they awaited the blushing bride. Bill couldn't help but glance nervously over his shoulder once or twice in anticipation to look at the opening of the marquee to see what the hold up could possibly have been now.

"You'll be fine," said Charlie in a hushed voice, turning Bill's attention back to the front.

"What is taking her so long?" replied Bill in an equally hushed voice. "We were late enough as it is; she had plenty of time to get ready."

"Chill out," replied Charlie coolly. "We've only been here two seconds. This is her wedding; she is probably just fussing over Ginny and Gabrielle, making sure that they look perfect. She's fine."

"Yeah well," Bill muttered in a low voice. "What with everything happening at the moment, you can't be too cautious."

"This is coming from a curse breaker?" Charlie chuckled. "I thought you said curse breakers had more guts than us 'dragon freaks'. Something about risking your neck every time you step into a tomb that could well become your own..."

Bill grinned wryly and relaxed ever so slightly, even if it was just to please his brother.

He didn't have to wait much longer for his bride to turn up, he didn't even need to turn around to acknowledge her presence, the entire marquee adopted a deathly silence. Bill's hands started to become sweaty and the butterflies returned with a renewed vigour, he desperately tried to dry his hands whilst adjusting the collar on his dress robes which suddenly seemed too tight.

A small, warm hand slipped into his, at which point Bill turned to his left only for his breath to catch in his throat. She was stunning. He couldn't suppress the huge grin that swept his face as she smiled up at him encouragingly, her blue eyes sparkling happily. She seemed to have an angelic aura surrounding her which basked the front of the aisle in light, for a moment he completely forgot that there was even anyone else present but himself and his beloved.

She gave his hand a small squeeze and gave a miniscule jerk of her head towards the front where the wizard was waiting to perform the vows. Bill shook himself back into reality yet held onto Fleur's hand tightly, as she calmly held him in the real world.

The wizard read the vows from a tiny leather bound book, held lightly between his gnarled fingers. Bill held his breath as he heard what the man was saying but was not listening to word of it, more aware of the unmistakable sound of his mother sobbing behind him; the only person who was louder was Hagrid who blew his nose like a trumpet into a tablecloth sized handkerchief at the back of the marquee.

The wizard stopped talking, and it took another squeeze of his hand from Fleur for him to realise what was going on.

"I do," he stated calmly, as though he had been listening intently all along.

"You may kiss the bride," remarked the wizard.

Bill grinned widely as he turned to face his bride, now Mrs Fleur Weasley. The grin did not leave his handsome face as he gently lifted the light material of her veil over her face and she leapt into his arms, kissing him fiercely.

The congregation clapped heartily, the sobs of his mother and Hagrid still evident in the crowd as they rose to their feet applauding. Fred and George wolf whistled heartily and Charlie looked slightly uncomfortable standing next to the pair. Bill and Fleur broke apart as some of the streamers let off confetti to flutter over their heads and from seemingly nowhere a couple of miniature phoenixes took flight, soaring across the heads of their friends and family.

Bill laughed at all of the smiling faces, gave his wife another peck on the lips and led the way back down the aisle, just as the chairs floated up into the air for dining tables to take their positions, floating champagne glasses wandering into the marquee of their own accord. Bill made a mental note not to touch a single glass until some other unfortunate soul had proved that they were genuine champagne.

Before he could make it to the end of the aisle a flurry of fluffy red hair engulfed him.

"Ohhhhh, Bill! Oh Bill! My little Bill, m-m-married! I c-can't b-b-b-believe it ..." Bill staggered slightly under the weight of his mother as she sobbed inaudible words into his shoulder.

He sent a despairing look at his father, who merely shrugged at his wife and offered Bill a more dignified, fatherly clap on the shoulder. Mrs Weasley eventually pulled away from them both, her face blotched with tears yet pride gleaming in her watery eyes. She shuffled back against her husband and smiled awkwardly at her son and daughter-in-law as though she had been waiting for that moment ever since his birth.

"Come," trilled Fleur, pulling Bill towards the dance floor as the band struck up a tune. Bill followed obediently, his eyes very rarely leaving his radiant beauty of a wife.

The next couple of hours were full of discussion, dancing, feasting and catching up with family members whom they had not seen for decades, all rallying together on such a huge occasion in the midst of war. Bill found himself constantly halted my Weasley relatives that he never knew existed with much pecking of the cheeks and fervent grasping of hands as they offered their congratulations and good will. Fleur smiled politely at them all as she followed her husband, she had few relatives attending her wedding as the vast majority of her equally extensive family lived in France. Only her mother, father, sister and a few select cousins had attended. All of which were busy having a good time flirting with the young men that were in abundance in the Weasley household and leading the dances on the dance floor. Fred and George were each trying to chat up as many of them as possible, their voices carrying halfway across the marquee in their eagerness.

Slowly the time began to tick on and the guests slowed down in their actions as the champagne and fine food started to take effect. The band struck up steadily slower tunes and various couples took to the floor each time, Bill and Fleur leading many of them once each and every guest had finished their well wishes. Bill thought that he was going to explode from the elated feeling in his chest as he first led his wife onto the dance floor, a feeling that did not diminish at all with each new dance.

They swayed gently on the dance floor almost alone after an hour or so, the other guests taking to gossiping between themselves. Bill gently stroked his bride's hair as they swayed to the music; she rested her head against his chest and gave a pretty sigh of content. Bill pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and wrapped her up in his arms.

"Here's to happily ever afters," he murmured quietly so only she could hear.

"Amen to zat," she whispered back before closing her eyes and smiling as they continued to sway slowly.

Their peace and peace of their guests was short lived as a silver lynx charged into the marquee before alighting upon the dance floor. Bill and Fleur both turned slightly to look at the intruding patronus as did the guests.

The lynx looked at them all imperiously, before opening its mouth to reveal the deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shaklebolt. "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

The revelation was a little too much for the congregated party to come to terms with in a short space of time and they all stood stock still for a moment, as silent as statues as the news sank in. Then as it hit home, people started to mutter and move around agitatedly, unsure as to what to do with themselves, the Order members were drawing their wands. Then suddenly a scream pierced the air, Fleur's mother. Fleur ran over to her as Bill tried to get to one of the other Order members to ask what to do. As he moved through the milling crowd towards his father, other people started to appear in the marquee and outside.

Then all hell broke loose, the guests started screaming and running every which way, finding family members and disapparating. He ran past Harry, Ron and Hermione as the latter grabbed their hands and disapparated them away as hooded figures started to descend upon the guests, their wands drawn.

"PROTEGO!"

Nearly all of the Order members roared the spell as the Death Eaters started to cast spells. More and more people started disapparating with no heed for their family in their all consuming panic. The rest of his family were trying to get inside the house and look after themselves from there. He could hear his mother screaming for Ginny through the melee. Bill staggered around to look for his younger sister, narrowly avoiding a stunning spell. Then suddenly "Protego!" Ginny hurled herself in front of him as a curse soared their way, the spell bounced from her protective shield and the rebound stunned a Death Eater.

"Ginny! Get inside!" roared Bill, pushing her out of the way and trying to nudge her towards the house.

"I just saved your guts!" screamed Ginny but looking terrified none the less.

"For Gods sake Ginny, just go please," pleaded Bill pushing her further and further back.

"BIIILLLL!" the heavy French accent of Fleur pierced the air. His heart in his mouth, Bill whirled around, giving his sister a rough shove towards the house. His father and many other Order members were busy duelling Death Eaters every which way, however four of them were closing in on Fleur, who had dropped her wand.

"Fleur!" he screamed, running towards her as she backed away from the Death Eaters. "Fleur! I'm coming!"

A flash of green light was flying at him; Bill flung himself to the ground just in time as the curse struck one of the trays that was still floating around carrying the glasses of champagne. Shards of glass showered over his head on the impact and the golden tray made a loud clanging noise on his head, champagne sloshing all over him. He struggled back to his feet, ignoring the piercing shards of glass on his skin. He was even further away from Fleur now.

"Stupefy!" Bill cried, the spell hit one of the Death Eaters square between the shoulder blades. "Stupefy! Petrificus totalus! Stupefy! Expelliarmus!"

The spells missed their targets and the Death Eaters managed to grab hold of Fleur. She kicked and screamed, screamed for Bill as he continued to dodge and dive from the spells and curses flying at him.

Then with a swift turn, they disapparated, Fleur sandwiched between them.

"Fleur!" screamed Bill, charging towards their disappearing forms. "Fleur! Wait! Fleur!" Their bodies disappeared into the darkness.

Bill sunk to his knees as the remainder of the Death Eaters saw what had transpired and disapparated, their job done. He stared into the darkness, her disappearance immediately striking him to the very core. A sense of failure completely consuming him, a pain greater than Greyback had ever caused as his wife was whisked away from him under his very nose. Yet he continued to whisper her name, his voice cracking painfully as the name disappeared into the darkness as swiftly as she had done herself.

"Fleur."


End file.
